"The only realistic way to fulfill the Biblical mandate to raise
our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is to
homeschool in the current culture."Mike Smith, President of Home School Legal Defense
Association

"What will be
the legacy for your family and this nation as a result of the
choices you make for the education of your children? It's
one of the most important choises any parent will every make."
Michael Farris, Chairman of Home School Legal Defense
Association

"An education without the Bible is
useless." Noah Webster

"It
is time we get our kids out of the public schools."

Dr. Tim
LaHaye, Left Behind Book Series and Pastor

Considering Homeschooling Ministry™

Charter Schools & Government
In-Home Education

What is a Christian parent's
responsibility?

If you have your children enrolled in a
government directed homeschool program, we hope the following
information will help you consider the blessing that God will endow on your
family by redirecting
your child to an education based on a worldview and system that honors God.

The Problem with Home-based
Charter SchoolsHSLDA's Position in the
Charter School Debate

Charter schools are a new
phenomenon rapidly gaining
popularity across the country. All
charter schools are created or
"chartered" by public school boards,
which establish a mission,
educational program, and methods of
assessment. Most charter schools are
classroom based. However, some
charter schools are home based. When
parents enroll their child in a
full-time, classroom-based charter
school, it is obvious that they are
signing away much of their parental
right to direct their child's
education. Home-based charter
schools gloss over this surrender by
giving parents a wide variety of
"free" benefits, all for use at
home: computer and Internet access,
books, school supplies, support from
certified teachers, and a diploma,
etc.

Creates a little public school in
your home

In reality, parents who accept
government money through home-based
charter schools are still signing
over ultimate educational control of
their children to the state.
Enrolling in a home-based charter
school creates a little public
school in your home.

This is why HSLDA has for years
opposed public school Independent
Study Programs in California, and
it's why we oppose home-based
charter schools.

One of HSLDA's primary objectives
is to establish the right of parents
to independently teach their
children at home free from
government intervention. This is
independent private home schooling.
When HSLDA began in 1983, this was
the only kind of home schooling that
existed. In many states, home
schooling was illegal. The same
education establishment that fought
home schooling years ago is
beginning to see benefits of
home-based charter schools. Is that
because they are beginning to see
the benefits of home schooling? The
answer is a resounding "No!"

More profit for public schools

The issue is money and control.
All public schools, including
home-based charter schools, are
funded based on attendance. The
higher the student enrollment, the
more money that is received. When a
home schooler enrolls in a
home-based charter school program,
that school usually receives the
same amount of funds for the student
as if the child were attending the
local public school. The difference
is that the home-based charter
school does not have to provide
teachers, classrooms, and all the
other related expenses of an on-site
program.

Limits parental freedom & brings
regulation

The
state must hold recipients of
taxpayer dollars accountable for how
they use the funds. The flip side of
the "free benefits" coin is not Lady
Liberty—it's a door to increased
"accountability checks": certified
teacher oversight, curriculum
approval, mandatory testing, and
sometimes even home inspections.
Ultimately, as these requirements
grow, they will squelch one of the
greatest benefits to home
education—flexibility to accommodate
each child's learning style and
interest.

Rather than more control, HSLDA
believes there should be less
control and interference with
parents' rights to direct the
education of their children.
Nationally normed standardized test
results indicate that home schooled
students score on average 30
percentile points above the national
average. Private home schoolers have
demonstrated that state funding and
regulation are not necessary to
achieve academic excellence.

Restricts religious freedom

Some 30 states already prohibit
public schools and public
school-funded programs from using
sectarian materials. Because
home-based charter schools are
tax-funded, parents cannot use
Christian or other religious
curriculum, nor will the home-based
charter school give their children
credit for religious
courses/materials.

The big picture-the effect of
government money on private
education

America's Founding Fathers wrote
the Constitution to keep the state
checked by the law in order to keep
the private sphere truly free. When
individuals accept state funds for
private activities, the distinction
between the state and the private
sphere is blurred, self-government
is weakened, and the state is
further unleashed from the bounds of
law to intrude upon the personal
lives of its citizens. If the
distinction between the state and
the private sphere is damaged or
falls, our whole constitutional
system of government collapses.

Conclusion

HSLDA encourages every home
schooling family to be informed—know
your U.S. and state constitutional
rights, read your state home
schooling law, and consider
carefully the implications of a
decision to enroll in a home-based
charter school.